Honors Program to Host Keystone Showcase

On Thursday, Dec. 1, the St. John Fisher University Honors Program will host its Fall Keystone Showcase to celebrate and recognize Fisher Honors Scholars’ projects. The Showcase will be held from 5:15-7:30 p.m. in Cleary Family Auditorium.

Honors Program Director Dr. Lauren Calimeris Kocman says that the keystone projects provide Honors Scholars with the ability to customize their education according to their own passion, values, and goals. She noted that some students pursue the more traditional research path, others seek out   community-engaged learning opportunities, and some focus on developing their leadership skills and professional experience through internships. Overall, she said that the variety of keystones and the creativity in each is inspiring. 

“It’s so exciting to see the showcase come to fruition. There really is nothing off limits; if the students have an interest or an idea, we work with them to develop it and to identify a faculty mentor on campus who can help guide them. To me, perhaps the most rewarding part of the Honors Program is when the students finish their keystones and the sense of accomplishment and pride that they have in their work, knowing that they designed and executed these projects themselves,” added Calimeris Kocman.

Some of the highlighted projects will include:

“Anxiety and Courses of Treatment for Pediatric Patients”
Megan Letta (mentored by Dr. Lori Dambaugh)

“What Good is a Math Major who Cannot Read? Literacy’s Importance in a Mathematical Classroom”
Jake Carpenter (mentored by Professor Maylin Harter) 

“Ace of Base Three: How Base Three Makes Magic Happen”
Maria Covelli (mentored by Dr. Kris Green) 

“An Interdisciplinary Approach to Trauma: Public Health, Biology, and Psychology”
Madison Jaynes (mentored by Dr. Heather McGrane Minton) 

“An Exploration of Teacher Identity Development using Auto-ethnographic Field Notes”
Natalie Sticht (mentored by Dr. Katrina Arndt) 

“In-vitro transcription to generate guide RNA for CRISPR Cas9 gene editing”
Jake Gallina (mentored by Dr. Kevin Callahan) 

“The Best Social Media Strategies to Drive Audience Engagement”
Salvatore Saunders (mentored by Professor Ron Sicker)

“Addressing Climate Issues In the EU”
Gabby Papale (mentored by Dr. Clair Smith)

For additional details, contact Calimeris Kocman at lkocman@sjf.edu or (585) 899-3855.